Big Sur

In the bottle it starts with something a akin to tea tree, maybe some menthol and a touch of eucalyptus, I’m not sure what Big Sur smells like as a place but this definitely takes me to the beach, not so much the salt water, seaweed and sand part of the beach, but the fresh crisp air and the plants and rocks on the way down there. It’s really lovely fresh fragrance, would be great in the summer. I’m afraid I’m not sure what nettles and artemisia smell like (I’m new at this) so I can’t comment there. On the skin there’s a burst of green followed by more tea tree which dies down a bit to reveal sequoia and a little bit of salt. Sits pretty close to my skin, very fresh and clean feel, maybe a tinsy element of bug repellent but not in a bad way. Bay leaf is there too but it doesn’t come until later. I’ve tried mixing this with a tinsy bit of seaweed absolute and it was uncanny how much it reminded me of summers down the coast. Of all the ocean/beach style fragrances out there this one for mine is the only one that comes close to the real experience. It’s lovely.

coveted this perfume for a year after discovering it at my local indie perfume store. finally got a roller and i’m obsessed. encapsulates the unique feeling of being on a northern california beach between the ocean and the redwoods. i smell the salty sea water scent first and the sequoia and moss secondary. dry down is sweet and herbal on me. bought this for an upcoming trip to sea ranch. can’t wait to wear it. it’s perfect.

Creosote. Tar. Strong evergreen cleaner. Bitter herb. Deep cedar wood. First wears I didn’t know what to do with this. Grew to love this after several wearings and already miss my decant. Good initial sillage. Decent length to about 8 hours. I don’t get a lot of aquatic notes.

Very nice! I tend to hate aquatic notes but love it in this one because it's less of a "fake, ocean/blue note" and more like an overall impression that you're near the ocean from all the other notes. It feels like you're on a cliff overlooking the ocean, with trees, as someone else said. The aromatic notes are very calming and draw you in. The scent feels extremely spa-like. I expected this to smell a little dirtier and earthier but that doesn't come across at all. I get the impression of a little bit of cinnamon from this (I think from the combination of bay leaf and sequoia). I also get a nice black pepper. These notes actually give me an overall 'soft spicy' impression, but again, it's something that's created by the sum of its parts rather than actually there. On me, there's a very slight sweetness to it that rounds things out. I don't notice any of the eucalyptus people mention, which I'm glad of. This doesn't smell medicinal at all to me, and the woods and herbs feels balanced. This fragrance is something different, while being very inoffensive. Unisex, though maybe more traditionally masculine.

At first I hated it. On me it’s almost like a skin scent but instead of making my skin better it made it worse. It smelled like literal body odor on me. Until about 30 minutes in it deepened and softened, there are some moments where it does smell a bit medical almost witch hazel, antiseptic-y. But then it transforms into an adventure, taking you out of where you are and into misted sea cliffs surrounded by pine trees older than your grand parents. I don’t think this is my scent per say but I like spraying it and pretending I’m a character on big little lies.

The opening is far too sweet for my tastes, I do like some Sweet fragrances but not ones that aim to be realistic. After about 30 minutes the sweetness dies down, there is a warm almost cinnamon type feeling that comes out along with the aquatics. I’m not sure what the perfumer uses for aquatic notes but it’s probably the best I’ve smelled. None of the stinky or ultra synthetic puke inducing calone. I travel to Big Sur every year and absolutely love the California coast. and I just might buy a full bottle of this to remember it when I’m not there.

bought this at ministry of scent in San Francisco before a drive up through the California redwoods after asking the shop worker for a "non-christmasy pine." lives up to that, it is so beautiful! I got hints of what this is supposed to smell like on various hikes along the beach that we did. very specific reference but it smells quite a bit like Zum's mint and clove bar soap - fresh and damp broken up by a strong spice. I don't get a ton of marine note but I can identify it if I try. I really really like it! I'll be wearing it year round for sure.

Extremely aromatic herbal, but not in a medicinal way. The aquatic aspect is completely lost but that is not necessarily a bad thing. This does remind me of the plants of the arid southwest.

Harribo Happy Cola gummies. As soon as I brought the blotter strip up to my nose, I was transported back decades to my very first gummy cola: a sweet, vaguely lemon citrus floating atop an equally vague herbal-spicy note that together read "cola". Contrary to what is suggested by the fragrance notes above, the pronounced sweetness swings the overall composition practically into gourmand territory. There is also an elusive evergreen accord that slides in and out of my perception, detectable only when I search for it. The result makes this fragrance the olfactory equivalent of a Magic Eye poster: any interest is fleeting and rapidly replaced boredom or irritation.

Big Sur is a natural perfume tour de force mixing fresh wild herbs, mosses and lichens with redwood. Inspired by the 90 miles of redwood and fog rimmed coastline in California, it's handcrafted using all natural ingredients. A fitting tribute for this renowned forest wonder. Loreto Remsing, who has roots in herbalism and aromatherapy, has an uncanny ability to create perfumes that reflect nature while smelling sooooooo good! This is the 3rd from this house I've worn, and I already want FBs of all 3. Big Sur has an exciting freshness with all sorts of aromatic notes. Especially potent is the California Bay Leaf, which I thought was amazing. Also known as pepperwood or Oregon myrtle, it is similar to the Mediterranean bay leaf but stronger. Its pungent, soothing aroma has a medicinal quality. Wild sagebrush adds a leafy spice smell, and there are all sorts of other organic plant-based ingredients chosen for their incredible aroma. If you've ever smelled any of these growing wild (or as I often do at the local nursery!), they are known for their savory redolence. Remsing's combination distills their essence into a perfume that any naturalist would love. The scent of the outdoors translated into a subtle perfume that takes you to the California coast. Sillage moderate, longevity all day.

On my body this smells strongly of cloves, a least favorite smell of mine and one that reminds me vividly of numbing clove solution in my dry socket and throwing up from the percocet prescribed to me after getting my wisdom teeth removed. A scrubber, but I'm at work and sprayed it on my chest and shirt, so instead it's an uncomfortable stewer. Does not remind me of any way of the California coast, aside from the fact that my oral surgeon was located not all that far from PCH.